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Bridging Leadership Programme: Enhancing Family Planning and Reproductive Health in Bantul District

7 October 2016

YOGYAKARTA, October 7, 2016: “It was really sad. It should not happen”, said Dr. Budi Nur Rokhmah of Bantul District Health Office after watching a video of Tini, a young woman who died giving birth to her child. Tini died because her husband was late getting her to the closest hospital. The hospital also refused to treat her as her husband could not pay the down payment fees. “The case is an example of lack of ability and means to immediately access maternal health services. It also shows that planning for safe motherhood, including the support from the community, was inadequate,” added Dr. Nur Rokhmah.

Maternal health and family planning were among issues discussed during the Bridging Leadership Workshop for Bantul officials, that was held in Yogyakarta on 4-6 October 2016. Facilitated by experts from the Population Commission and Zoellig Family Foundation of the Philippines, the event was part of South-South and Triangular Cooperation between Indonesia and the Philippines. The workshop was technically supported by UNFPA and the Government of Indonesia.

“All maternal health actors need to come up with clear strategies and enhanced commitment because Bantul District still has a high number of maternal deaths”, said Siti Noor Afifah of Family Welfare Movement of Bantul. According to the local health service statistics, there are seven maternal deaths out of 8813 live births in Bantul District from January until September 2016, which is equal to 79 per 100,000 live births. “Only if we work together and take ownership of the problem, sharing good practices, and developing agreed solution by all stakeholders, from Bupati down to Village Head and community leaders, we can reduce maternal deaths,” she added.

“The essence of bridging leadership is accepting that there is a problem, owning the issue and becoming part of the solution through partnership among leaders and all stakeholders," said Mayor Daisy Arellano Sayangda of the Philippines, one of the trainers during the Bridging Leadership Workshop. “Unfortunately, some leaders still deny that problems exist because of other pre-occupation or they are just too comfortable with where they are now, thus, missing becoming part of the solution”, added Mayor Daisy.

Bantul is selected as a pilot district to implement the family planning and reproductive health bridging leadership programming over the next two years.